Psaki on Cosby release: Biden a longtime 'advocate' in fighting 'violence against women'
Reporters pressed Psaki on what Cosby's release says to sexual assault survivors
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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden remains an "advocate" for survivors of sexual assault following the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision to throw out Bill Cosby’s conviction Wednesday.
"The president has long been an advocate for fighting against violence against women," Psaki told reporters. "For ensuring that we are raising the voices and the stories of people who have been survivors of sexual assault.
"That’s something [he] has done throughout his career and will continue to do," she said, adding the White House did not have a specific comment on the court’s decision.
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BILL COSBY RELEASED FROM PENNSYLVANIA PRISON AFTER SEX ASSAULT CASE THROWN OUT
Cosby was freed from prison after Pennsylvania’s highest court ruled he did not receive a fair trial in 2018.
The former actor, once known as "America’s Dad," was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home in 2004.
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The court found that a 2005 agreement had been violated between District Attorney Kevin Steele, the prosecutor who brought the case against Cosby, and District Attorney Bruce Castor.
Cosby was told he would not be charged when he gave testimony in the civil case filed by Constand.
Reporters pushed Psaki on the court’s ruling, saying it did not prove Cosby’s innocence and suggested it sends a negative message to survivors of sexual assault.
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Psaki said she did not want to speak to a "specific decision by a court," but said the president believes "the voices and stories of women who are survivors of sexual assault" are "brave."
"He believes these women are courageous," she continued. Adding: Biden "wants us to live in a country where they, where women will feel comfortable moving forward and telling their story."
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James Leggate contributed to this report.